The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-08-26
: COLORADO'S FARMS. J
ND A FEW FACTS ABOUT HER
METHOD OF IRRIGATION.

| ND A FEW FACTS ABOUT HER
METHOD OF IRRIGATION.
vhat the State Is and What It Produces.
Irrigation Companies and Their Won
derful Canals-Water Sold by the Inch.
A Look at Greeley.
Especial Correspondence
... DENVER, Aug. II.
Colorado is big state, and it will be sur
orising to many to know just how big it is.
Figures of square miles give little idea of ex-
tent to one not accustomed to dealing with
them, and comparison is the only possible
way of appreciating the area OF countries.
First, as to location, Kansas is in just the
center of the United States, and, by the way,
its citizens are beginning to think that all the
rest of the Union reyolves around them.
Colorado is just west of Kansas, and here at
Denver we are little over half way from
New York to San Francisco A fast express
train travelling at tine rate of thirty miles all
hour day and night, and making no stops,
could go from New York to Denver in two
days and half, or sixty-four hours; and
Denver is located east of the center of Colo
RADIO. It is q twenty hours ride from here to
Omaha and more than that to Kansas City.
1t is more than twice as far from here to New
York as it is from New York to Chicago, and
when you reach Denver you are not half way
across Colorado. 1t is further from one side
of Colorado to the other than it is from Ceve-
land to Chicago, and from the northern line
of the state to the southern boundary is nearly
twice as far as from New York toWashington
City. The state is rectangle in shape, $50
miles long and $50 miles broad, and it
is the fourth state of the Union in area.
Only Texas California and Nevada
are larger than it, and it is more than twice
rs big as Wisconsin and nearly twice the size
of Alabama or North Carolina. 1t is greater
than New York, Ohio and Maryland COM
bined, and its area would contain SO Della
wares, or 20 Connecticuts, or 12 New Jerseys,
or Belgiuns, or 3 Scotlands, or more
than so Rhode Islands. You could put
Georgia, Michigan, Iowa or Wisconsin in
Colorado, and either Kentucky, South Caro-
lima or West Virginia could rattle around in
the vacant space left. You could make of its
area three Irelands, and England and Wales
would only a little more than half fill its
boundaries 1t contains more than one
oUiTblebu OL I'LL Uil0 lttitu III tHe InIby-eiSnG
United States and nine territories, and it is
The greatest mining region of the Union.
#**
The mines are on the Rocky mountains,
which take up more than the western half of
5he state, and the other half is largely a dusty
arid plain which, gray in color, grows little
else than cactus, sage brush and buffalo
grass. The only cultivatable part of the
!, i, oI1al 1xy; ~ =
estimated by the more conservative of Colo
RADIO statisticians that not more than 5,000,-
600 acres of this whole state is tillable.
Others, however, claim that as high as 25,-
0OO, 900 acres can be cultivated, and there are
those who think that the great American
desert, which lies between here and Kansas,
will in the future, by the advance of the rain
belt, blossom like the rose. Five millions of
acres, however, is nearly as big as all Massa-
chusetts, and it is more than three times the
GOO acres and dPb sadtajnfaa yqt quite
the United States is raised on about this area
Of 5000, 900 acres. All the barley, potatoes
anu rye which we raised in 1878, amounting
to- in round numbers, AZ, ,000, 900 bushels of
barley, 26 O00, 900 bushels OF rye and 124, ,000,-
600 bushels of potatoes were raised OH less
than 1000, 600 acres of ground. So you see
that at the lowest estimate, the Colorado
farming territory is large enough to feed an
immense population.
**#
Ii already turns out a farming product equal
to more than $4,000, 600 year, and in 1886
it produced 9, ,0000 900 bushels Of wheat, $780,,
900 bushels Of oats, 900 bushels of barley,
l,000, 900 bushels of corn and 1900, 900 bushels
of potatoes. The Colorado wheat is as good
oAox1
noted for their excellence The above figures
show remarkable Increase since 1888, and
there has been a heavy immigration to
Colorado within the past few years. The
best land in the state, and that which could
be made good by irrigation, has been greedily
taken UP, and in the eastern parts of the
state great deal has been pre-empted that
will probably never pay the farmers for
their work 1t is thirsty prairie, too high
for irrigation. and its owners are depending
on rain fall which is very uncertain, and
which will in dry seasons leave their farms
us barren as the desert of Sahara This
sandy soil of Colorado drinks up water like
seive, and only a small proportion of it can
be titled without irrigation.
The cattle can, however, Craze on much of
the uplands if they can get water, and this
short gray dusty grass makes feed for them.
AS result the grazing interests of the state
are large, and the cattle interests mount
well I'D into the millions. There is estimated
to be 1900, 900 cattle now in the state, or
enough at six feet each in length to make a
single file procession, the nose OF one cow
touching the tail of the other, reaching from
here to New York. The wool clip of Colorado
last year was 100000 pounds, and horse
raising is getting to be great industry,
Riding from Pueblo to Denver saw many
droyes of horses and mules, and in northern
Colorado there is an extensive breeding of
fine stock such as ClydesdaIes and Normans,
which are being imported from Europe.
M#*
Denver has excellent hotels, two of which
are five stories high, and the accommodations
of which are IS good as any hotels in the
country. In addition to these there is now
building new hotel near Mrs. Tabor's prop
erty which is to cost nearly 81 900 900, and
which, when finished, will be the finest hotel
between the Mississippi and San Francisco.
The most of the money made in cattle
comes to Denver. and one-fourth Of the cattle
interests of the state are owned here. Dem
yer, as have said before, is the great resi-
dence city of the Rocky mountains. and, as
Governor Eaton said to me Friday, it has no
competitor. Every man who makes his pile
wants to come here to spend it, and it is as
delightful q place to live in as you will find in
the Union. It has all the modern conve-
nenees in the way of street cars, telephones.
electric lights, good society, excellent schools,
many churches, a big theatre, splendid oil
mate and fast growing prospects Omaha
and Kansas City are 500 or 600 miles away
too far to be envious of it. Pueblo may be
manufacturing center, but it is not fitted for
a residence city; and the opinion of Colorado
as to the future Of Denver was expressed
when she chose it for her state capital, giving
it Is per cent. of all the votes cast.
So se
Colorado, agriculturally, cannot be under
stood without some knowledge of its irriga-
ton system. The water from the Rocky
mountains has made nearly every farm which
the state has. Tho scenery of the level parts
of the state has all the variations of dozen
different countries Now you are travelling
over great rollng prairies OF dusty sage brush
and sparse, short trimmed thin grass through
which the thirsty earth shows forth and
among which the only green things are little
hills and patches Of inch long cacti. These
cacti are Of light green, are oval in shape,
r.. a ~ %